VIDEO: How Express Scripts Practices Pharmacy

Sep 8, 2015

At Express Scripts, we practice pharmacy differently, and as a result, step in to fill a widening gap of care within the healthcare system.

At Express Scripts, our philosophy is simple: If you had cancer, you’d want an oncologist. Pharmacy is no different: Patients with chronic and complex conditions require specialization and personal care.

The one in two Americans who take daily medications for chronic conditions such as diabetes drive 95% of U.S. drug spend. For specialty medicines, the percentage is even more dire: 1% of patients account for almost 31% of pharmacy costs.

Specialization Elevates Patient Care and Adherence to Medications

A generalist pharmacist may need to keep up with thousands of medications from many different disease states while finding time to wait on customers at the retail counter and fill up to 30 prescriptions an hour. This leaves little time to provide specialized, personalized attention. On average, patient conversations with retail pharmacists last less than two minutes, and they often can be overheard.

Express Scripts’ approach is different. Conversations with our specialist pharmacists are private. They average 12 minutes, but the pharmacist will stay on the line for as long as the patient needs.

Disease-Specific Expertise

Our pharmacies provide specialized and personalized care for patients with chronic and complex conditions. We operate 20 condition-specific Therapeutic Resource CentersSM, each staffed with specialist pharmacists, nurses and other clinicians. This approach helps close gaps in care – 4.8 million annually – and leads to increased patient adherence and better health outcomes. Specialist pharmacists are trained in behavioral practices that engage patients and encourage them to talk openly about their illnesses, their challenges and obstacles to staying on track. By taking the time to personalize the conversation, our specialist pharmacists tailor their approach to each patient.